PES 2014 on next-gen Fox Engine, Vita release whispers

While Konami are currently busy preparing PES 2013 for a release this Autumn, the Japanese publisher and developer has revealed that they are already thinking of the future beyond PES 2013.

In an exciting revelation, Konami has announced that future Pro Evolution Soccer games will be on next-generation consoles and to show that they mean business, they are going to develop them on the Fox Engine. This engine if you are not aware has been designed by Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima and his production team, and it’s also an engine that is being built specifically for the use of next-generation games.

PES 2014 on the likes of the PS4 and Xbox 720 is obviously an exciting prospect, but Konami still has the little matter of trying to take back their mantle from FIFA, which many will agree has produced the better football games over the last couple of years.

Konami has even had some words to say on that battle, as PES 2013 senior producer Naoya Hatsumi is confident that the switch over to PES on next-gen consoles could be the moment when fans start to fall in love with the franchise again. When speaking to Eurogamer recently he said:

“What we are trying to do is we are going to win back the crown when it comes to the next generation. That’s what we want to do, and to do this we need to have a new engine. That’s what we think.”

Moving away from next-gen talk though, we also have some fantastic news for Vita owners. Konami has also confirmed that a Vita version of PES is currently in development, but a release may not happen in time for when PES 2013 comes out on console. With an excellent FIFA game already out on Vita though, it will be interesting to see if Konami can top that with an effort of their own. FIFA Soccer on Vita essentially plays just like the console version so Konami has their work cut out.

What are your thoughts on the current state of PES? Is the fact that Konami are using the Fox Engine on the next-gen PES game reason to be optimistic about the series’ future, or do you still think they have a long way to go if they are going to win fans over who are currently hooked to FIFA?